Lindsay Jo Rimer
Encyclopedia
Lindsay Jo Rimer was a thirteen year old girl from Hebden Bridge
in West Yorkshire
in the United Kingdom
, who was murdered. She was last seen alive in Hebden Bridge
on 7 November 1994, and her body was found in a canal about a mile away on 12 April 1995. Despite repeated appeals for information by police, her murder remains unsolved.
. She was in Year 8 at Calder High School and was described as a "popular" pupil.
Supermarket in Crown Street. On her way to the shop she briefly stopped by a local pub, the Trades Club in Holme Street, where her mother was having a drink with a friend. Her mother asked her if she wanted to stay and have a cola with them, but Rimer said no and continued to the shop. CCTV footage from the shop showed Rimer paying for the cornflakes at 10:22pm. That remains the last known sighting of Rimer alive. She failed to return home that night, and when she did not turn up for her paper round the following morning, the alarm was raised.
, but no trace of Rimer was found.
, about a mile upstream of the centre of Hebden Bridge
, on 12 April 1995.
The post-mortem was carried out later that day at Royal Halifax Royal Infirmary by Home Office
pathologist Professor Mike Green. He concluded that Rimer had probably been strangled. Her voicebox had been flattened against the spinal column and there were also signs of congestion across the middle of the neck muscles. There were no signs of a sexual assault.
, the murderer of Bramley teenager Leanne Tiernan, and John Oswin have both been investigated, but no evidence has been found to link either to Rimer's murder. Nobody has ever been charged over the murder.
Hebden Bridge
Hebden Bridge is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the Upper Calder Valley and lies 8 miles west of Halifax and 14 miles north east of Rochdale, at the confluence of the River Calder and the River Hebden .A 2004 profile of...
in West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, who was murdered. She was last seen alive in Hebden Bridge
Hebden Bridge
Hebden Bridge is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the Upper Calder Valley and lies 8 miles west of Halifax and 14 miles north east of Rochdale, at the confluence of the River Calder and the River Hebden .A 2004 profile of...
on 7 November 1994, and her body was found in a canal about a mile away on 12 April 1995. Despite repeated appeals for information by police, her murder remains unsolved.
Lindsay's life
Rimer lived with her parents, two sisters and her brother in the family home on Cambridge Street in Hebden BridgeHebden Bridge
Hebden Bridge is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the Upper Calder Valley and lies 8 miles west of Halifax and 14 miles north east of Rochdale, at the confluence of the River Calder and the River Hebden .A 2004 profile of...
. She was in Year 8 at Calder High School and was described as a "popular" pupil.
Last sighting
Rimer was last seen alive on the evening of 7 November 1994. At about 10pm, she left her home to buy a packet of cornflakes from the SparSpar
In sailing, a spar is a pole of wood, metal or lightweight materials such as carbon fiber used on a sailing vessel. Spars of all types In sailing, a spar is a pole of wood, metal or lightweight materials such as carbon fiber used on a sailing vessel. Spars of all types In sailing, a spar is a...
Supermarket in Crown Street. On her way to the shop she briefly stopped by a local pub, the Trades Club in Holme Street, where her mother was having a drink with a friend. Her mother asked her if she wanted to stay and have a cola with them, but Rimer said no and continued to the shop. CCTV footage from the shop showed Rimer paying for the cornflakes at 10:22pm. That remains the last known sighting of Rimer alive. She failed to return home that night, and when she did not turn up for her paper round the following morning, the alarm was raised.
Initial police investigation
Police initially suspected that Rimer may have run away. There was local speculation that Rimer had been having trouble at home, although this was strenuously denied by her family. Rimer's older sister Katie took part in a reconstruction of Rimer's walk to the shop and hundreds of local people joined the police in searches of the area around Hebden BridgeHebden Bridge
Hebden Bridge is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the Upper Calder Valley and lies 8 miles west of Halifax and 14 miles north east of Rochdale, at the confluence of the River Calder and the River Hebden .A 2004 profile of...
, but no trace of Rimer was found.
Body found and post-mortem
Rimer's weighted down body was found by two local workmen in the Rochdale CanalRochdale Canal
The Rochdale Canal is a navigable "broad" canal in northern England, part of the connected system of the canals of Great Britain. The "Rochdale" in its name refers to the town of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, through which the canal passes....
, about a mile upstream of the centre of Hebden Bridge
Hebden Bridge
Hebden Bridge is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the Upper Calder Valley and lies 8 miles west of Halifax and 14 miles north east of Rochdale, at the confluence of the River Calder and the River Hebden .A 2004 profile of...
, on 12 April 1995.
The post-mortem was carried out later that day at Royal Halifax Royal Infirmary by Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
pathologist Professor Mike Green. He concluded that Rimer had probably been strangled. Her voicebox had been flattened against the spinal column and there were also signs of congestion across the middle of the neck muscles. There were no signs of a sexual assault.
Continuing police investigation
In the years since the discovery of Rimer's body, the police have taken hundreds of witness statements and spoken to more than 5,000 people during their investigation. Detectives have looked into whether known criminals may have killed Rimer. John TaylorJohn Taylor (criminal)
John Taylor is a British convicted murderer and rapist. He was a parcel delivery worker for Parcelforce, and lived on the same estate in Bramley, Leeds, as Leanne Tiernan and within a mile of where she was last seen alive. He was known locally as "the pet man", as he kept a number of dogs and...
, the murderer of Bramley teenager Leanne Tiernan, and John Oswin have both been investigated, but no evidence has been found to link either to Rimer's murder. Nobody has ever been charged over the murder.